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Seals, Sea Lions and Sea Otters

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Seals, Sea Lions and Sea Otters tion Seal, Sea Lion, or Sea Otter? tters tters Photo: Bill Bouton Photo: Mike Baird O – have short front flippers, dark Harbor Seals Office of National Marine Sanctuaries ea or white spots on their fur, and lack external ear flaps. Males and females up to six feet in length. S National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra Atmospheric National Oceanic and Photo: Steve Lonhart Photo: Phil Adams Photo: Phil Elephant Seals – have short front flippers, tan ions, and ions, or dark brown fur, and lack external ear flaps. Males up to 13 feet in length, and females up to 10 feet. L Monterey Bay ea National Marine Sanctuary S Designated in 1992, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of the largest federal marine protected areas in the National Marine Sanctuary Photo: Mike Baird Photo: Megan Gong System for its biological richness and cultural of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary National Bay Monterey of significance. The sanctuary encompasses 6,094 eals, – have long front flippers, tan or dark Sea Lions square statute miles (4,601 square nautical miles) of S brown fur, and have external ear flaps. Males up to ocean and a shoreline length of 276 miles. eight feet in length, and females up to six feet. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary The sanctuary contains diverse marine ecosystems, 99 Pacific Street, Building 455 including deep underwater canyons, a seamount, Monterey, CA 93940 rugged rocky shores, extensive kelp forests, wave- Web: montereybay.noaa.gov swept sandy beaches, and tranquil estuaries. Known as the “Serengeti of the Sea,” the sanctuary harbors Email: [email protected] an incredible variety of marine life, including at least Photo: Steve Lonhart Telephone: (831) 647-4201 Photo: Steve Lonhart 36 species of marine mammals, 525 species of fishes, 180 species of seabirds and shorebirds, and Photo: Melissa Anne Thomas Anne Photo: Melissa Sea Otters – have front paws, tan and dark an abundance of invertebrates and algae. brown dense fur, and usually seen floating on their backs. Males and females up to four feet in length. montereybay.noaa.gov Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary National Bay Monterey Viewing Guidelines Pacific Harbor Seal Southern Sea Otter tion All marine mammals are protected. It is against federal (Phoca vitulina richardii) (Enhydra lutris nereis) and state law to disturb them or cause a change in their Quiet and shy, harbor seals Usually found in shallow natural behavior. Enjoy watching in a responsible way: can be seen year-round, bays, estuaries, or near occupying shallow ocean kelp forests, sea otters feed Keep your distance. Causing otters waters, estuaries, or bays. on crabs, urchins, clams, to dive or seals to flee into the water from They gather in groups along and octopuses, often using shore may threaten their pups and interrupt sheltered shoreline areas, small rocks to crack open their feeding, resting, breeding, or nursing. on beaches, rocks, and the shells of prey. Lacking Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Hands off. Attempting to, or touching spits, where they breed, blubber, they burn calories Photo: Mike Baird wildlife, can injure the animal, put you at molt, and rest. These small, Photo: Marge Brigadier quickly and eat up to 25 risk, and may be illegal for most protected plump seals have spotted silver-gray to black coats, and each percent of their body weight a day. To stay warm and keep their Administra Atmospheric National Oceanic and species. Never touch or pick up wildlife. individual has a unique pattern of dark spots or scattered white thick fur waterproof, they spend hours a day grooming. Otters rings. Often curious, harbor seals will watch people walking rest by wrapping in kelp to keep from drifting away, and can Never chase or harass wildlife. along the shoreline or follow kayakers or divers in the water. form groups of a dozen or more, called rafts. Single pups are Never surround, trap or separate animals, Being fast swimmers, they can hunt fishes, octopuses, and born year-round, peaking between January and March, and University State Polytechnic California at Department Design and Art the of courtesy Image approach them head on, or approach them squid. In the spring from March to May, females gather on stay with their mothers for six months or more. Southern sea Report Animal Disturbances directly from behind. protected beaches to give birth to one pup each year. Mothers otters, hunted for their lush pelts in the1700s and 1800s, were often leave their pup alone on the beach while feeding offshore, once thought to be extinct until a group of about 50 individuals NOAA Enforcement Hotline: (800) 853-1964 Do not feed wildlife. Attempting to returning later to nurse. On average, females can live for 35 were discovered off Big Sur in 1938. The California population CalTIP Hotline: (888) 334-CalTIP (888-334-2258) attract or feeding wildlife may harm animals years and males for 25 years. has grown slowly over the years to an estimated 3,000 animals. by causing injury, sickness, death, and Report Sick or Injured Animals habituation to people. Northern Elephant Seal California Sea Lion The Marine Mammal Center Report sick wildlife. Animals that San Francisco Bay Area: (415) 289-7325 appear abandoned may not be, as seals (Mirounga angustirostris) (Zalophus californianus) Monterey or Santa Cruz Counties: (831) 633-6298 often rest on beaches or leave pups alone Spending most of the year Playful with a loud bark, San Luis Obispo County: (805) 771-8300 while feeding at sea. Report any suspected feeding out at sea, elephant sea lions are found on sick or injured wildlife to local authorities. seals come to sheltered rocks, jetties, docks, or Help Protect Wildlife Keep pets on leash. Dogs can beaches and islands to under wharves. Very social Are you passionate about chase, harm, and disturb wildlife, or may breed, pup, molt, or rest. animals, large groups rest helping prevent wildlife cause mothers and pups to get separated. Diving to a depth of more closely packed together disturbance? Become Wildlife can injure or spread disease to pets. than 5,000 feet, they feed on land or float together in a volunteer for Bay Net on sharks, fishes, and squid. rafts at sea. Sea lions are or Team OCEAN! Bay Know drone laws. All unmanned Beginning in December, Photo: Denise Kocek agile swimmers, and can Photo: Cat Harper Net volunteers serve as aircraft systems are prohibited in airspace male elephant seals come to shore to battle each other for be seen leaping out of the water. They hunt offshore for fishes shoreline naturalists to Amity Wood Photo: below 1,000 feet in four restricted zones in territory and access to females. Once the females arrive, they and squid. California sea lions breed mainly on offshore islands educate the public about the sanctuary, local wildlife the sanctuary without a permit, and from any give birth to a pup and nurse for about 28 days, then mate with from Santa Barbara to Mexico, and most pups are born in June seen from shore, and promote respectful wildlife airspace that causes wildlife disturbance. Recreational one or more of the dominant males before returning to sea. For or July. Mothers nurse their pup for at least six months to more viewing. Team OCEAN volunteers are on-the-water and commercial drone operators must comply with all the next two months, weaned pups remain on beaches learning than a year. By five years of age, males develop a bony bump naturalists who educate other kayakers about the Federal Aviation Administration regulations as well as to swim and dive on their own. Once hunted to near extinction on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. California sea lions sanctuary and help prevent wildlife disturbances along local laws and ordinances on airspace restrictions. in the late 1800s, today elephant seals are protected and have are susceptible to entanglement in fishing gear and debris, the coast. For more information, visit: made a remarkable population comeback. They can be seen on malnutrition, and disease from harmful algal blooms that can montereybay.noaa.gov beaches at Año Nuevo State Park and Piedras Blancas. cause the animals to have life-threatening seizures. montereybay.noaa.gov Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary National Bay Monterey.
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